We are four months away from the closure of the Kalangitan sanitary landfill in Capas, Tarlac. The Bases and Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) is still mum about the impending crisis.
Apart from solid waste, a darker cloud also hangs over the healthcare industry, casting a shadow on the health of patients, healthcare workers, and the rest of the general population as medical waste will have nowhere to go.
Apart from the local government units, medical waste treaters of private companies such as hospitals and clinics are also sounding the alarm. Improper handling of medical waste can lead to contamination, spread of infectious diseases, and environmental pollution, posing a serious threat to public health and safety.
The shutdown of a waste disposal facility threatens to plunge the medical sector into a hazardous crisis, with medical waste treaters warning of serious consequences for public health and safety. Where is the sense of urgency? It takes no idiot to understand that.
Hospitals and healthcare facilities generate a significant amount of medical waste on a daily basis, including used syringes, contaminated wastes, and other biohazardous materials. Proper disposal of these wastes is not only a legal requirement but also a critical aspect of ensuring the well-being of patients, healthcare workers, and the general public.
The closure would also affect around 300 workers of the Metro Clark Waste Management Corporation. They need time to look for another job once their landfill shuts down. So there’s also that, unemployment.
As early as 2014, the closure of the Kalangitan landfill was already brought to the table. This will leave healthcare institutions scrambling to find alternative solutions, putting lives at risk in the process.
Why was this not addressed properly? Where is the alternative facility? Who will be liable for the consequences that may arise? Why shut up on a shut down.
So many questions. So much trash. Not an impasse. Not an impasse.